Emotional outburst is now the accepted rationale of Mushfiqur Rahim’s resignation from the Bangladesh captaincy but BCB president Nazmul Hassan has vowed to get to the bottom of this sudden decision, hinting that there were other contributing factors.

Mushfiqur’s inability to control himself has been well known to those close to him, and given how easily Bangladesh went down to Zimbabwe in the ODI on Wednesday, it was enough for him to get riled and defeat to Zimbabwe would obviously lead to anger in the Bangladesh dressing-room.

There were far too many poor shots played by senior batsmen, including Mushfiqur, and the bowling was not efficient enough to defend 247 on Wednesday or 252 in the 2nd ODI. In general, there was a lack of hunger, noticeable in the players’ body language. Read more
Courtesy : www.espncricinfo.com

Mushfiqur Rahim has said he will stand down as Bangladesh captain after this weekend’s two Twenty20 internationals against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo.

The Tigers lost the preceding one-day international series 2-1 after the Test series was drawn 1-1.

Wicketkeeper-batsman Mushfiqur, 24, has been captain since September 2011 when he succeeded Shakib Al Hasan.

“I failed to perform. I think I failed to lead my team, so the two T20 matches will be my last as captain,” he said. Read more
Courtesy : www.bbc.co.uk

Vusi Sibanda brought up his second ODI hundred by hitting the winning runs that secured Zimbabwe a rare series victory, against Bangladesh in Bulawayo. Zimbabwe’s seven-wicket success broke the deadlock between the sides and gave the hosts the series 2-1.

Zimbabwe’s bowlers laid the foundation for the victory, operating with discipline to restrict Bangladesh to 247 for 9. Brian Vitori’s two-wicket burst with the new ball gave the hosts impetus, before Tendai Chatara and Prosper Utseya bowled expert line and lengths in the middle overs. There were no bowling heroes, but a collective effort did the job. Read more
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Saqlain Mushtaq has said the contribution of left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak’s in Friday’s 121-run over Zimbabwe has not gone unnoticed. Saqlain is now with Bangladesh was their spin bowling consultant, as part of his deal with the BCB to be in the role for 100 days in 2013.

He has been credited for guiding offspinner Sohag Gazi since his debut and has offering his advice to Razzak as well. Saqlain said that one wicket, that of Zimbabwe captain Brendan Taylor, was a vital contribution from a bowler who also had to adjust to the conditions.

“When someone comes back to the international arena, he needs some time to adjust to that climate,” Saqlain said. “But I’m happy, because he got the wicket of the key man, Taylor. The captain was in very good form, he got hundreds in each innings of the first Test and I think he is their main player, and he took his wicket. Read more
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Zimbabwe batsman Hamilton Masakadza has said that the home side is not under pressure playing at the Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo, a venue where they have lost to Bangladesh seven times in nine matches. He was the top-scorer in the first ODI, but was one of four batsmen to fall when the score was on 93.

“I think we just had a bad start in Bulawayo,” Masakadza said. “We couldn’t fight like the way we were supposed to. I think 260 was a par-score on this wicket, which is batting friendly, but we just didn’t bat well enough to chase it down.

“I think they (Bangladesh) had a few good games here where we haven’t played so well ourselves. We don’t really think there is a jinx. We chased 300 runs against New Zealand in a one-day game.” Read more
Courtesy : www.espncricinfo.com

Match facts
May 5, Bulawayo
Start time 0900 (0700 GMT)

Big Picture
If the ODI series follows the drift of the recently-concluded Test series, Zimbabwe should bounce back from the 121-run defeat in the first game and square the three-match ODI series.

They have a shorter turnaround, and have a lot to talk about in the team meetings and in the only net session they have on Saturday. It will start with the bowlers who conceded 18 wides, and were generally quite undisciplined. There was no relentless line and length like they showed in the first Test. Having said that, Shingi Masakadza was the only pace bowler in the first ODI who played in the Tests; though he picked up four wickets, he bowled the highest number of wides in the innings.

They will be boosted by the return of Kyle Jarvis and Brian Vitori, Bangladesh’s nemesis from the 2011 tour. Regis Chakabva and Tinashe Panyangara have been dropped. Read more
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Ziaur Rahman whose five-wicket haul helped Bangladesh crush Zimbabwe by 121 runs – their biggest margin of victory against the opponents – said that his initial target was to bowl two dot balls per over against the Zimbabwe batsmen.

Picked as a third seamer behind Robiul Islam and Shafiul Islam, Ziaur would have been pleased with completing a full quote of ten overs. Instead, he was the leading wicket-taker in the game, extending his streak from the four-wicket haul in the last innings of the second Test in Harare.

“I wanted to bowl at least two dot balls per over,” Ziaur said. “The batsmen would be under pressure if they were kept quiet, and that is exactly what happened.” Read more
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Bangladesh came out on top by making fewer mistakes, and ended up crushing Zimbabwe by 121 runs. The home side fell into a sink-hole of wickets in the middle order, from which they never recovered.

The material differences between the two teams were Nasir Hossain’s timely 68, which rescued Bangladesh from their own middle-order implosion, and Ziaur Rahman’s five wickets, which damaged the Zimbabwe middle-order badly. It also helped Rahman bring down his bowling average.

It was Brendan Taylor’s dismissal for 33 that saw the home side slip from 78 for two in the 15th over to 148 all out in 32.1 overs. Read more
Courtesy : www.espncricinfo.com

Match facts
May 3, Bulawayo
Start time 0900 (0700 GMT)

Big Picture
As it had been before the Test series, Bangladesh are slightly ahead of Zimbabwe leading up to the ODI series in terms of form, recent results and experience. But the 1-1 scoreline after nine absorbing days in Harare means the “favourites on paper” theory is not applicable to these two teams.

Mushfiqur Rahim’s side should carry some momentum from the 143-run win in the second Test. The most encouraging sign for them has been the middle-order bouncing back from a wretched time in the first match. Mushfiqur, Shakib Al Hasan and Nasir Hossain have scored two fifties each, while Tamim Iqbal has shown he can still bring out his A-game despite a thumb injury. Read more
Courtesy : www.espncricinfo.com

The Bangladesh dressing room was a subdued enclosure after their 143-run win over Zimbabwe in the second and final Test. The team had decided to skip celebrations as a mark of respect to the victims of the Savar building collapse tragedy, one of the worst industrial accidents in Bangladesh’s history, which has resulted in 389 deaths so far.

“We dedicate this win to the Savar victims,” Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim said at the post-match press conference. “It probably contributes nothing [to their cause] but we didn’t celebrate after the win. We didn’t sing the team song. It is a very sad moment for us back home. Read more
Courtesy : www.espncricinfo.com